1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a protective and/or therapeutic support for encircling the knee joint to give support and protection to the skeletal, muscular and surface structures of the knee, and more particularly to an elastic knee brace which includes side pockets with insertable stiffeners or supports and an annular pad to engage the kneecap.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Individuals who has sustained knee injuries, or who have had operations on their knees, or who have weak knee joints, commonly are required to wear knee braces, either continuously or when indulging in strenuous activities. Knee pads are also commonly used by athletes and by persons with minor leg and knee injuries. Typically, a circumferentially stretchable elastic sleeve can be pulled on over the foot or wrapped around the leg and attached at its ends, to encircle a person's knee. The sleeve provides inward compressive force tending to support the knee joint (i.e., the junction of the femur, tibia and fibula and patella) against hyperdisplacement that could stretch and injure the ligaments and tendons of the leg. The front central portion of the sleeve can be provided with an opening through which the user's patella or kneecap projects, particularly when the knee is bent. U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,203 to Applegate discloses a sleeve-type knee brace with an opening in the front. A drawstring in an elastic casing facilitates adjustment of the circumference of the opening. Lateral pads located on opposite sides of the fixed opening and other pads provide additional protection for the user's knee.
Barlow, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,578 discloses a knee brace with pocket-like members at the patella and areas adjacent the patella. It includes extra pads for impact/abrasion protection of the patella and side areas, but no structure ensures that the any pad in the pockets remains centered over or engaged with the patella.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,902 to Taylor, another sleeve-type knee brace includes side hinge braces which are carried in pocket-like members and are secured by means of belts at the top and bottom of the knee brace. Plastic stiffeners also may be added.
Most sleeve-type knee braces concentrate on support of the knee ligaments and muscles involved in hinging motion of the knee. The typical cut-away patella section in these braces makes the knee easier to bend by allowing the patella to protrude but deprives the patella itself of protection from impact or abrasion. Most kneebraces concentrate on plastic or rigid stiffeners to act as kneehinge-stiffening braces disposed at the sides of the joint. Known braces do not include at the same time substantial provision for impact absorption, abrasion protection and structural support of all the structures associated with the knee.